Streacom FC5 ALPHA Full Aluminium Low Profile Fanless Chassis

The shot-blasted FC5 makes its presence known in the HTPC market with its low profile look, fanless cooling and 100% aluminium construction! Looking for a new HTPC case? You just might have found it!

Streacom FC5WS Black

The new FC5 ALPHA follows in its predecessors footsteps with the same minimalist styling, the updated version brings even more refinement to this timeless sleek design. At the heart of these improvements is the updated bottom panel which is not only more robust but has been redesigned to optimise airflow, reducing internal temperatures. Motherboard size and drive storage options also benefit from this new design, with the FC5 Alpha now accommodating an additional 2 x 2.5” drives and a full size motherboard. A single USB3 port is now located on both sides of the case for easier access and balance.

Many home theatre chassis are finished with the brushed aluminium effect, but the FC5 is not like other home theatre chassis. Streacom have finished the FC5 in a very fine shot-blasted finish which gives an elegant pitted look to the aluminium rather than a lined look which brushing produces. It is all down to personal preference as to which looks better but one advantage that a shot blasted finish has over a brushed finish is that it does not leave visible fingerprints behind as brushed aluminium finishes often does.

Streacom FC5WS Silver

Recommended Components

Streacom have a comprehensive build guide that provides general tips and suggestions on what should be considered when building in a Streacom case and how to achieve the best results.

Motherboard and CPU - The FC5 ALPHA is compatible with Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX and ATX motherboards. Depending which motherboard you opt for will determine how many HDD/SSDs can be installed (more info on this below) and which CPU to use. The case is capable of cooling virtually all CPUs that have a TDP of 95W or lower.

One important point to note when selecting a motherboard is that the board must not have the 24-pin ATX connector (shown in the red shaded section in the image below) or any tall heatsinks are located in this area otherwise the Nano-PSU adapter may obstruct the heatpipes, preventing the CPU block from being fitted correctly.

Avoid motherboards with the 24pin ATX connector in the red shaded area

Note: Although it is stated that the overall cooling ability of the case is 95W we strongly advise using a processor with a TDP of 65W or lower to avoid using too much power than the Nano-PSU can provide. We have a selection of Intel and AMD CPUs available that produce 65W or lower.

Power Supply - We recommend using a fanless Nano PSU which can provide up to 160W of power. This is more than enough to power most CPUs that have a TDP of 65W along with suitable peripherals. It is recommended not to overload the number of peripherals; two drives, a TV tuner and obviously a motherboard should not be a problem for this miniature PSU. Alternatively, Streacom now have a 240W Internal fanless PSU, the ST-ZF240. That extra 90W (compared to the Nano-PSU) will allow for even more drives to be connected to the system or you may want to opt for a CPU that has a maximum TDP of 95W for greater performance (see note below). Using this power supply means the largest motherboard you can install is Micro-ATX, as the PSU takes up internal space within the chassis.

Please note: that care has to be taken when installing Intel’s 12th gen 65W CPUs. This is because they feature ‘Max Turbo Frequency’ that exceeds 65W. As an example the Intel Core i9 12900 is stated as being a 65W processor but can actually consume up to 202W. Please check the specifications table for the processor you intend to use and check the ‘Maximum Turbo Power’ does not exceed the power supply.

Thermal Paste - These cases are supplied with thermal paste.

SSD/Hard Disk Drives - The FC5 cases can house many drive combinations depending on which size motherboard is fitted or which PSU is used. The instructions from Streacom’s website go through in detail the options that are available. It is highly recommend that you take a look at the images below, or alternative feel free to look at the instructions.

Image Showing Layout for 2.5in Drives

Image Showing Layout for 3.5in Drives